Ishara Investments LP Makes New $2.08 Million Investment in Verastem, Inc. $VSTM

Ishara Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Verastem, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSTM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 270,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,084,000. Verastem accounts for 2.4% of Ishara Investments LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Ishara Investments LP owned about 0.40% of Verastem at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Polar Capital Holdings Plc boosted its position in Verastem by 270.7% during the fourth quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc now owns 3,925,126 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,302,000 after purchasing an additional 2,866,350 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 3,536,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,298,000 after buying an additional 1,440,000 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 1.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,479,011 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,720,000 after buying an additional 55,394 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 44.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,219,295 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $24,853,000 after buying an additional 990,655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foresite Capital Management VI LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verastem by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Foresite Capital Management VI LLC now owns 3,135,120 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $24,203,000 after buying an additional 520,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.37% of the company’s stock.

Verastem Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VSTM opened at $4.17 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.19. The company has a current ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $366.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 0.27. Verastem, Inc. has a one year low of $3.55 and a one year high of $11.24.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VSTM shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price target (down from $19.00) on shares of Verastem in a report on Monday, March 30th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price target on shares of Verastem in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Verastem from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Mizuho cut their price target on Verastem from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Alliance Global Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Verastem in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verastem presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $15.60.

About Verastem

Verastem Oncology, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of small molecule therapies that target cancer stemness and resistance pathways. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts, Verastem Oncology applies a precision-medicine approach to identify key signaling nodes responsible for tumor growth and relapse, with an emphasis on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The company’s research platform integrates insights into complex signaling networks to advance novel compounds from early discovery through clinical proof of concept.

The company’s lead marketed product is COPIKTRA (duvelisib), an oral inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, which received U.S.